The technology described herein relates to methods and systems for reducing standby power consumed by electronic devices. A control unit is powered by a control unit power source. The control unit power source, in some embodiments, comprises a first photovoltaic driver and a second photovoltaic driver mounted in an anti-parallel configuration. In other embodiments, the control unit power source is a battery (e.g., a rechargeable battery). In addition, the control unit can cause a load power source to switch off upon detection of an absence of a load (e.g., by using the load detector) without the use of a shunt resistor. The control unit also causes the load power source to discharge electricity to the load upon detection of the load.